1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc apparatus for recording and/or reproducing information on and/or from a recording medium, such as a CD (compact disc) or a DVD (digital versatile disc), and more particularly, to a disc apparatus in which may be inserted therein a second disc, and which can drive both the first and second discs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there have been disc apparatuses of various types for inserting thereinto a recording medium, for example, of the so-called xe2x80x9ctray loading typexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cleaf-actuation loading typexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cslot-in loading typexe2x80x9d, etc.
The disc apparatus of the xe2x80x9ctray loading typexe2x80x9d has been used most frequently. In this type of disc apparatus, a tray movably provided on a front panel or the like of the disc apparatus is extended out by pressing an operating button, a disc is loaded on the tray, and the tray is retracted into the disc apparatus. The disc is carried in and out of the disc apparatus by means of the tray.
The disc apparatus of the xe2x80x9cleaf-actuation loading typexe2x80x9d is frequently used particularly for portable disc players, and this apparatus, in which a leaf opens and a disc is placed directly on the turntable is most common. When the leaf is closed, the disc is clamped between a clamping member provided on the leaf and the turntable.
In the disc apparatus of the xe2x80x9cleaf-actuation loading typexe2x80x9d used for a vertical disc apparatus, a disc is loaded inside a rotatably supported leaf, and the disc is placed inside the disc apparatus by closing the leaf.
In addition, the disc apparatus of the xe2x80x9cslot-in loading typexe2x80x9d is used for the disc apparatus for inserting thereinto a recording medium stored in a cartridge, such as an MD (Mini Disc), an MO (Magneto Optical disc) and a PD (Power Disc). In this type of disc apparatus, the recording medium is inserted into the apparatus from an insertion opening provided in a front panel.
In these types of the disc apparatuses, however, except in the xe2x80x9cdisc changer typexe2x80x9d disc apparatus for holding a second disc in advance, a second disc must be inserted after once removing the first disc having information recorded thereon and/or reproduced therefrom, so that the discs cannot be easily exchanged.
In addition, even in the xe2x80x9cdisc changer typexe2x80x9d disc apparatus, the discs must be stored in a magazine and the like in advance, so that information on the disc that is not stored in the magazine cannot be recorded and/or reproduced. Therefore, such a disc must be reset in the magazine, and very complicated operations are required.
Furthermore, in a disc apparatus installed in a vehicle, the exchange of discs is difficult during vehicle operation, and entails some risk.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disc apparatus in which a second disc can be inserted, with a first disc on which information has been previously recorded and/or reproduced therefrom still present in the disc apparatus, and which then exchanges the first and the second discs in the disc apparatus to eject the first disc.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a disc apparatus, including: an insertion opening for inserting thereinto a disc; a transfer means for transferring the inserted disc to an inner part of the apparatus; a support means for temporarily supporting the inserted disc and a disc remaining in the disk apparatus; a disk driving means for holding a disc to perform at least one of recording and reproducing; and a moving means for moving at least one of the support means and the disc driving means in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the disc, wherein, of the discs supported by the disc driving means, one disc remaining in the disc apparatus is held by the disc driving means to perform at least one of recording and reproducing operation of the disc.
In addition, in the disc apparatus of the present invention, when another disc is inserted from the insertion opening, a space area of the support means may oppose the insertion opening, and the disc transferred by the transfer means may be supported by the space area.
Furthermore, in the disc apparatus of the present invention, the another disc inserted via the insertion opening is moved by the movement of the support means after being supported by the space area, and the disc already supported by the support means being moved by the transfer means to a position where the disc can be removed from the insertion opening.
Still furthermore, in the disc apparatus of the present invention, a pressure means which presses a disc toward the transfer means at the inner part of the apparatus may preferably oppose the another disc opposed to the insertion opening by the movement of the support means.
In addition, the disc apparatus of the present invention may have a construction such that after the disc has been removed from the insertion opening, the support means stops, and the disc driving means moves to the position of the another disc supported by the support means to hold the another disc.
Furthermore, in the disc apparatus of the present invention, the support means and the disc driving means may preferably be moved by the same moving member.
In the disc apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to perform recording and/or reproducing operation of information on or from a disc at two positions of the upper position and the lower position. The setting of the upper position or the lower position is determined by a state of devices of the disc apparatus in which a power of the disc apparatus is turned off at the completion of previous use thereof. In the initial state in which the power is turned on again and the disc is not inserted in the disc apparatus, the recording and/or reproducing information of the disc may be performed at either the upper position or the lower position.
In addition, if a first disc is inserted into the disc apparatus when the initial state is set to the upper position, the devices move to the lower position upon insertion of the first disc to perform recording and/or reproducing operation, while the devices move to the upper position to perform recording and/or reproducing operation when the initial state is set to the lower position. In addition, if a second disc is inserted into the insertion opening during recording and/or reproducing information on or from the first disc, the devices start to move to the upper position or the lower position upon insertion of the second disc. Therefore, even if the presence of the first disc in the disc apparatus is unknown, the insertion of the second disc is accepted, so that the discs can be easily changed.
In addition, at least one of the support means, the clamping means and the disc driving means may preferably be moved between the upper position and the lower position upon insertion of the second disc.
In the disc apparatus of the present invention, when exchanging the discs, the disc driving means may be fixed and the support means may be moved up and down, the clamping means having a clamper may be fixed and both the support means and the disc driving means may be moved up and down, or the support means may be fixed and the clamping means and the disc driving means may be moved up and down.
In addition, the disc apparatus may be of the xe2x80x9cself-clamping typexe2x80x9d in which the clamping means having the clamper is not provided, and only a turntable provided on the disc driving means holds the disc.
According to the disc apparatus of the present invention, the second disc can be loaded in the disc apparatus only by being inserted into the insertion opening, and moreover, the second disc can be inserted into the insertion opening with the first disc still loaded in the disc apparatus. Therefore, unlike the conventional disc apparatus, the discs can be easily exchanged since the action of pressing an eject button to remove the first disc is not required.